"My Sister, My Role Model"
The author wishes to remain anonymous
Edited by Shmuel Greenbaum
Printed with Permission of http://www.TraditionOfKindness.org

While my sister is out of the house, I am using her computer, to write about her. She is a 27 year old woman who has a wonderful heart, and deserves to be recognized for it.

When my sister saw that special education students in our community were not being given the appropriate services and accommodations, she researched the matter, to find out what she could do to help.

The first thing she did was to file a complaint on their behalf with the New York State Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. The State found that our school district was not in compliance with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act). Their investigation is still pending.

After filing the complaint, she started a website, called "Baldwin Anger," so that parents could work together. Her comment to me was that it is finally a place for an entire community to express their concerns and frustrations, since SEPTA (Special Education PTA) does not have a local chapter. It even has a message board, so parents can network, vent, share ideas, and share information.

My sister has given of her time selflessly, so that special education children can benefit. She never worries about how much time she spends for this cause, even though her social life suffers as a result.

Alhough she does not have much money, she scrimps and saves to pay for the P.O. Box for people to contact her, and prints business cards out of her pocket as well. Money is so tight for her at times, that she has put off getting a new pair of sneakers. I asked her why she doesn't get new ones, and she said, "business cards come first, maybe next month."

My sister has set a wonderful example for me, and I really hope that just once in my life, I can do something as meaningful as she is doing.

Visit her website at: http://www.BaldwinAnger.com

"You Are Unique"
From: Kindness: Making a Difference in People's Lives: Formulas, stories, and insights
By: Zelig Pliskin
Printed with Permission of Shaar Press

Every kind person is unique. You have unique talents, skills, knowledge, and resources. Utilize them to help others in ways that are uniquely yours. Learn from other kind people, but don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Others will be able to do things that you can’t. And you will be able to do things that others can’t.

One who sings well can utilize this talent to cheer up the despondent, the ill, and those who need an emotional lift. One who has been blessed with financial wealth can help those who lack the means to meet their needs. One with time and energy can volunteer to help the elderly and those who require physical assistance. One with life experience can share the expertise amassed over time with those who will benefit.

A younger person will be able to help out in ways that an older person can not. And an older person will be able to help out in a way that a younger person can not. A professional will be able to help out in certain ways and a layman will be able to help out in other ways. At times one’s lack of resources is exactly what will render them more effective in a particular situation.

Don’t let the feelings that others are doing more than you discourage you from doing good. First of all, you can never tell how much a seemingly small act of yours has accomplished.

Furthermore, you might have an opportunity to do a major act of kindness for an individual or an entire group of people. Opportunities for kindness can present themselves in unexpected ways. And it is because you will be the right person at the right place at the right time that will make a major difference. So keep your focus on what you can do rather than on what anyone else has done, is doing, or will do. Your life task is to do what you can do and this is totally up to you.

A student related the following:

I have a tendency to be competitive. When I feel that I won’t do as well as others, I don’t get involved. There are so many people out there doing major acts of kindness on a large scale that I feel that what I would do is inferior and therefore not worth doing.

My teacher noticed that I wasn’t involved in a group charitable project and asked why.

I explained that I didn’t feel like doing just a small amount when others where doing so much more.

"You need to limit your focus to what you are doing and ignore what others are doing if that prevents you from doing more yourself," she told me.

It took me a lot of effort, but I eventually mastered the ability to limit my focus as she suggested. Now when I do acts of kindness for others, nothing else exists but this person and what I can do for him. This has freed me from comparing what I do with what others do. I am now much more motivated to do what I can and I feel a sense of accomplishment that had always been missing in the past.

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